GMS Weekly Newsletter

Dear Wolf Pack Families,

I hope that all of you are having an enjoyable and memorable summer. I wanted to send this newsletter to you all to best prepare your student for the start of a great year. Below you will find information on Back To School Registration (Geisler Get Going!), Chromebooks (all students will need a district device or bring a personal device for school each day), Orchestra/Band Rental Instruments, PTSA Spirit Wear, Food Service and Fall Sports/Physicals. Please take the time to read through this information thoroughly to set your student up for success from the start of the year. Due to construction at Geisler, our Geisler Get Going Registration will be held at Sarah Banks MS from 9am-3pm on August 21. The first day of school is August 28. I look forward to seeing many of you in the next few weeks!

Sincerely,

Stuart Riley

Principal, Geisler Middle School

On August 21, from 9am-3pm, Geisler Get Going Registration will be held at Sarah Banks MS. Please make sure to complete the online registration process prior to your arrival. Families who have completed the forms online in advance will be able to move quickly through the in-person registration process. If for any reason you are unable to complete the process ahead of time, we will be able to offer assistance during registration. Please plan on spending additional time at registration to complete the online packet in person. Please visit the website to complete your back to school packet.

Last school year WLCSD began a new 1-to-1 Chromebook Program in all of our middle and high schools. This program provided different access to technology than our elementary school students had at their buildings. Please review the information about the 1-to-1 Chromebook Program as part of your Back-to-School Online Registration Process.

Each student will be required to bring a device to school each day as the middle schools do not have Chromebook carts in the building for students to use a Chromebook during the day. District issued Chromebooks often work much better within the building than personal devices do as they are set up to connect to the District Wi-Fi.

Important Highlights

Students will have two choices for technology use while at school:

1. Bring your own device from home

2. Sign up for a District issued Chromebook*

*Additional carts of Chromebooks will no longer be available for students to utilize extra building devices on a daily basis. Students will be expected to bring a charged device (personal device or District issued Chromebook) daily in order to utilize online curricular resources as well as participate in daily instruction within the classroom.

We strongly encourage families to sign up for a District issued Chromebook.

There are advantages to this practice including:

• Better Wi-Fi connectivity in District

• Increased support from District IT staff including

• curriculum resources

• support apps

• Streamline repair process

MIDDLE SCHOOL students (grades 6-8) must complete PAYMENT for the Chromebook deposit ($50) and Technology Protection Plan ($20) no later than Thursday, August 17, at 11:59PM Eastern Time in order to receive the District issued Chromebook at our Geisler Get Going on August 21. Payments made after August 17 will still receive a device, but not until the first few days of school. Please be sure to review the entire 1-to-1 Chromebook Program Information that is linked on our Back-to-School Packet Website. If you are in need of financial assistance to participate in this program, please reach out to Mr. Riley directly at stuartriley@wlcsd.org

.

We are excited to begin another great year of Middle School Sports at Geisler Middle School! We will kick off the Fall season with Girls Volleyball and Cross Country. If your student would be interested in participating please see the link to the attached permission slips and flyers below. Keep in mind that students will need to have a physical dated after April 15, 2023 to participate on the first day! If you have any questions reach out to Jami Rose, jamirose@wlcsd.org. We look forward to a great upcoming season for Volleyball and Cross Country.

Students should rent, purchase, or borrow an instrument before the school year begins. If a student does not take the steps to acquire an instrument before the school year begins they will begin the year at a disadvantage. Please rent/purchase/borrow an instrument by Friday, August 25th.

Renting an instrument: Shar Music- You are not required to rent from this company, however Ms. Burdek highly recommends their services. Shar comes to Geisler once a week for repairs and instrument deliveries/ pickup. Contact info: 800.248.7427 OR https://www.sharmusic.com/pages/about-rental A representative will be at Geisler Get Going on August 21 from 9am-3pm.

Purchasing an instrument: Please contact Ms. Burdek before purchasing an instrument. String instruments need to be of good quality or performance will suffer. Poor quality instruments are frustrating to play and require repairs often.

Borrowing an instrument: If financial assistance is required there are a limited number of GMS instruments that may be loaned out without cost. Please contact Ms.Burdek as soon as possible so she may set aside an instrument.

maryannburdek@wlcsd.org

For more information about instrument rentals check out our orchestra website:

https://gmsorchestra.weebly.com/new-students.html

Orchestra Supplies needed:

Quality Instrument and Bow

Rosin

Shoulder Rest (violin and viola)

Rock Stop (cello and bass)

Tuner

Essential Elements 2000 Book 1 for Strings

Cloth for cleaning

Music Stand

This message is for parents who will have children in 6th grade band classes this year. If your child did not sign up for band or orchestra back in the spring but has since reconsidered, it’s not too late to adjust their schedule. Please email Mr. York - Band (michaelyork@wlcsd.org) or Ms. Burdek - Orchestra (maryannburdek@wlcsd.org) and they can help you with finalizing the best instrument for your child.

Welcome to the band program at Geisler Middle School! You each play a very important role in the success of our students. One of the first goals is to make sure that each student has an instrument and all necessary equipment for 6th grade band.

Instrument rentals – please reserve band rentals by August 15:

Walled Lake partners with Marshall Music as our school service provider, and we recommend their rent-to-own program for your child’s instrument. Marshall Music uses the recommended instruments and equipment, and the instruments are safe and sanitized. Maintenance and insurance is included free of charge, and a Marshall Music representative visits Walled Lake Schools weekly for all service needs.

Rental agreements can be completed online at marshallmusic.com/rentals. All necessary supplies for the beginning of the year will be included in the rental and accessory package, except for a few small items which we will detail once the school year begins. It is important that you fill out your rental agreement before August 15th to guarantee delivery to the school before the first day of class.

Information for families who are not renting:

If you already have an instrument or will be borrowing from Geisler, you will need to purchase an accessory package for your child’s instrument before the first day of school. Marshall Music provides these accessory packages for a discount and has set up a Walled Lake specific page on their online store. Visit their online store at https://shop.marshallmusic.com/c-117-walled-lake.aspx and scroll to the bottom of the page to view the accessory packages for flute, clarinet, trumpet, or trombone.

A limited number of school-owned instruments are available to loan to families who are unable to rent/purchase an instrument due to financial hardship. If you need to borrow an instrument from Geisler Middle School, please contact Mr. York at michaelyork@wlcsd.org so that we can reserve an instrument for you.

If you plan on purchasing an instrument from a source other than Marhsall Music, please email Mr. York first to ensure you are purchasing a quality instrument. There are many off-brand instruments available on the internet at a considerable cost-savings, but in our experience, these instruments rarely play in tune, break easily, and in many cases are not repairable. We are happy to help you find an instrument that is high quality and will be reliable for your child throughout their time in band.

Marshall Music will be able to answer your rental questions, but I am happy to answer any other questions you may have about 6th grade band. Please feel free to contact me via email.

Mr. Mike York

Band Director – Geisler Middle School

michaelyork@wlcsd.org

Families, please consider joining our Geisler PTSA this year. Joining the PTSA is a great way for you to support all of the fantastic initiatives that happen at our school thanks to our PTSA Board, Volunteers and Members. Joining the PTSA is easy to do and is part of the online registration packet. A PTSA Board Member will also be at Geisler Get Going to answer any questions that you may have. Please see below for all of the great Spirit Wear items that are being offered this year through the PTSA!

During the 2023-24 school year, all Michigan public school students in grades Pre-K through 12 will have access to free breakfast and free lunch every day through the "Healthy School Meals for All" program. This includes a meat/meat alternative, grain, fruit/vegetable and milk. A la carte items will be available for purchase.

Families are still encouraged to complete the free/reduced meal form in Skyward to help secure additional funding for the District including Title I funding. By completing the form, eligible families may also receive access to other free and reduced programs within the District including SAT testing, pay to participate, and more.